Ministry of National Defense officials on Tuesday confirmed that a Chinese naval fleet, which in recent days has been training in the South China Sea, traveled through the Miyako Strait, off Okinawa, then headed south through international waters to the east of Taiwan.
An unnamed naval official said that the ministry closely monitored the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) fleet’s route through the waters off Taiwan and Japan, putting the fleet under surveillance through to its destination in the South China Sea.
The official said the military had tracked the fleet’s journey, and was able to discern the total number and types of warships on the mission. However, he could not release any further details because it is classified information.
According to the ministry, the PLAN fleet traveled south off Taiwan’s east coast, then turned west to reach its South China Sea destination by passing through the Bashi Channel, which lies between Taiwan’s southern tip and the Philippines’ northern Batanes Islands.
The official said the military was well-prepared for contingencies in case of conflict, because this was the same sea route taken by Chinese fleets in previous years for naval exercises and patrol missions on the high seas.
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